Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39112920›Full record

ArticleArthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.)2025

Toll-Like Receptor 8 is Expressed in Monocytes in Contrast to Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells and Mediates Aberrant Interleukin-10 Responses in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis.

Christine Ehlers, Thea Thiele, Hannah Biermann, Stephan Traidl, Luzia Bruns, Annett Ziegler, Matthias Schefzyk, Lea M Bartsch, Ulrich Kalinke, Torsten Witte and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Christine EhlersJunior Research Group for Translational Immunology, TWINCORE Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and the Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; Biomedical Research in End-Stage and Obstructive Lung Disease Hannover (BREATH), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Hannover, Germany.
Thea ThieleDepartment for Rheumatology and Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Hannah BiermannJunior Research Group for Translational Immunology, TWINCORE Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and the Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Stephan TraidlDepartment for Dermatology and Allergy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Luzia BrunsDepartment for Rheumatology and Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Annett ZieglerInstitute for Experimental Infection Research, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and the Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2033-5049
Matthias SchefzykDepartment for Dermatology and Allergy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Lea M BartschDepartment for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Ulrich KalinkeInstitute for Experimental Infection Research, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and the Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Torsten WitteDepartment for Rheumatology and Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Theresa GraalmannJunior Research Group for Translational Immunology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and the Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany, Biomedical Research in End-Stage and Obstructive Lung Disease Hannover (BREATH), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Hannover, Germany, and Department for Rheumatology and Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-1856-0981

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveSystemic sclerosis (SSc) is a severe rheumatic disease causing fibrotic tissue rearrangement. Aberrant toll-like receptor (TLR) 8 transcripts in plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) were recently linked to SSc pathogenesis, which is at least partially mediated by increased type I interferon (IFN-I) responses. Here, we addressed the functional role of TLR8 signaling in different immune cell subsets of patients with SSc.

methodsMonocytes, conventional dendritic cells (cDCs), and pDCs from the blood and skin of patients with SSc were analyzed for TLR8 protein expression. To assess TLR function, cytokine responses upon TLR7 and TLR8 stimulation were studied. To identify relevant alterations specific for patients with SSc (n = 16), patients with primary Sjögren disease (pSS; n = 10) and healthy controls (HCs; n = 13) were included into the study.

resultsIn all individuals, TLR8 was expressed in monocytes and cDCs but not in pDCs. The TLR8 expression levels were overall similar in patients with SSc and pSS and HCs. Additionally, in all study participants, TLR8 stimulation of pDCs did not induce IFN-I expression. In contrast, monocytes from patients with SSc revealed increased interleukin (IL)-10 responses upon TLR8 (patients with SSc vs HCs, P = 0.0126) and TLR7/8 stimulation (patients with SSc vs HCs, P = 0.0170).

conclusionTLR8 protein is not expressed in pDCs of patients with SSc. Accordingly, they do not respond to TLR8 stimulation. In contrast, monocytes of patients with SSc respond to TLR8 stimulation with increased IL-10 responses. Therefore, TLR8 signaling in monocytes participates in SSc pathogenesis by conferring aberrant IL-10 expression.

Indexed as

Dendritic CellsInterleukin-10MonocytesScleroderma, SystemicToll-Like Receptor 7Toll-Like Receptor 8AdultAgedCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedInterleukin-10TLR7 protein, humanTLR8 protein, humanToll-Like Receptor 7Toll-Like Receptor 8

Identifiers

PMID39112920
PMCPMC11685002

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.